Using people’s memories and stories, we are recreating places that no longer exist. Places that were important to us. we are creating a series of stories for radio and an online map where you’ll be able to add your own memories through text, photos, sound, whatever.

have been reading a book about a rich literary lady

of the twenties and her husband who

drank, ate and partied their way through

Europe

meeting Pound, Picasso, A. Huxley, Lawrence, Joyce,

F. Scott, Hemingway, many others;

the famous were like precious toys to

them,

and the way it reads

the famous allowed themselves to become

precious toys.

all through the book

I waited for just one of the famous

to tell this rich literary lady and her

rich literary husband to

get off and out

but, apparently, none of them ever

did.

Instead they were photographed with the lady

and her husband

at various seasides

looking intelligent

as if all of this was part of the act

of Art.

perhaps because the wife and husband

fronted a lush press that

had something to do

with it.

and they were all photographed together

at parties

or outside of Sylvia Beach’s bookshop.

it’s true that many of them were

great and/or original artists,

but it all seems such a snobby precioius

affair,

and the husband finally committed his

threatened suicide

and the lady published one of my first

short stories in the

40’s and is now

dead, yet

I can’t forgive either of them

for their rich dumb lives

and I can’t forgive their precious toys

either

for being

that.

One of the biggest problems facing the community today is the issue of continuity. With such a small population, divided into only four families (Cohen, Tsedakah, Danfi and Marhib; a fifth family died out in the last century) and a general refusal to accept converts, there has been a history of genetic disease within the group due to the small gene pool. To counter this, the Samaritan community has recently agreed that men from the community may marry non-Samaritan (primarily, Israeli Jewish) women, provided that the women agree to follow Samaritan religious practices. There is a six month trial period prior to officially joining the Samaritan community to see whether this is a commitment that the woman would like to take. This often poses a problem for the women, who are typically less than eager to adopt the strict interpretation of Biblical (Levitical) laws regarding menstruation, by which they must live in a separate dwelling during their periods and after childbirth. Nevertheless, there have been a few instances of intermarriage. In addition, all marriages within the Samaritan community are first approved by a geneticist at Tel HaShomer Hospital, in order to prevent the spread of genetic disease.

“So why isn’t everyone jumping rope? Because it’s too hard. It takes a lot of skill and coordination.”

Visit Jumpsnap if you dare.

My thoughts after having read the first six chapters of Moby Dick:

• Why is Queequeg described by Ishmael as such a mysterious figure?
• Melville is having a rollicking time spinning his yarn. He is not afraid to take walks down long side roads to get where he’s going. And he can easily transition from talking about such disparate topics as the difference between a town-bred dandy and a bumpkin dandy to a meditation on the pervasiveness of whaling life in New Bedford.
• Herman does a great job of communicating the excitement of someone about to embark on a journey. Everything is colored with the heightened awareness of someone whose eyes are wide open in anticipation of where tomorrow will take him.

I have to be honest. The high element of danger alone would make it worth it. But that’s just gravy. You get to wear cool, reflective clothing. You’re honored every year at the 4th of July parade. And if Farenheit 451 is any indication of what the future holds, one day we’ll get to preside over massive book burnings. In South Pasadena, the average salary for a firefighter is $62,000. Nice chunk of change, huh? Well, I’ve got some applications to go fill out. If you’re interested in becoming a fireman also, I will leave you with some links to investigate.

• How to become a fireman
• How to fight a fire, and when not to
• History of firefighting
• Famous fires

It’s about to get hot up in here. Stay tuned for regular updates as I blog my way through the training program. (I can promise you, my writing will be on fire!)

In other news, I’ve started reading Moby Dick. I thought about committing to post a response after each new chapter I read. But this guy seems to have that base covered. Besides writing insightful responses and crafting cerebral songs in response to each chapter of the book, he was also mentioned in the New York Times. I think I could definitely best him in the musicianship category, though. Not that it’s a contest or anything. Now, to sharpen my spear…